James Madison

(noun)

James Madison was an American statesman and political theorist, the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817). He is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for being instrumental in the drafting of the United States Constitution and as the key champion and author of the United States Bill of Rights.

Related Terms

(noun)

James Madison, Jr. (March 16, 1751 (O.S. March 5) – June 28, 1836) was an American statesman and political theorist, the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817). He is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for being instrumental in the drafting of the United States Constitution and as the key champion and author of the United States Bill of Rights.

Related Terms

Examples of James Madison in the following topics:

  • Debate over the Presidency and the Judiciary

    • While waiting for the convention to formally begin, James Madison sketched out his initial draft, which became known as the "Virginia Plan" and which reflected his views as a strong nationalist .
    • The delegates agreed with Madison that the executive function had to be independent of the legislature.
    • Few agreed with Madison that the executive should be elected by the legislature.
    • It was chaired by John Rutledge, and other members included Edmund Randolph, Oliver Ellsworth, James Wilson, and Nathaniel Gorham.
    • James Madison authored the Virginia Plan, which contained important provisions on the presidency and judiciary.

  • Constitutional Issues and Compromises

    • While waiting for the Convention to formally begin, James Madison sketched out his initial draft, which became known as the Virginia Plan.
    • Prior to the start of the Convention, the Virginian delegates met and, drawing largely from Madison's suggestions, drafted a plan.
    • As Pinckney did not reduce it to writing, the only evidence we have are Madison's notes, so the details are somewhat scarce.
    • Stippling engraving of James Madison, President of the United States, done between 1809 and 1817.

  • The Constitutional Convention

    • Although the convention was intended to revise the Articles of Confederation, the intention from the outset of many of its proponents, chief among them James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, was to create a new government rather than fix the existing one.
    • James Madison's plan, known as the Virginia Plan, was the most important plan.
    • Prior to the start of the Convention, the Virginian delegates met and, drawing largely from Madison's suggestions, drafted a plan .
    • It was proposed by delegates James Wilson and Roger Sherman.

  • Federalists and Antifederalists

    • James Madison of Virginia crafted the Virginia Plan, which guaranteed proportional representation and granted wide powers to the Congress.
    • Three Federalists—Alexander Hamilton , James Madison, and John Jay—wrote a series of essays called The Federalist Papers.

  • The Bill of Rights

    • The amendments that would become the Bill of Rights were introduced by James Madison as a series of legislative articles .
    • James Madison, "Father of the Constitution" and first author of the Bill of Rights

  • The Federalist Papers

    • The three people who are generally acknowledged for writing these essays are Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.
    • Since Hamilton, Madison, and Jay were considered Federalists, this series of essays became known as The Federalist Papers.
    • One of the most famous Federalist Papers is Federalist No. 10, which was written by Madison and argues that the checks and balances in the Constitution prevent the government from falling victim to factions.
    • Madison also wrote Federalist No. 51, under the name "Publius" or "Public. " He argues here that each branch of government would not be dependent on other branches and, thus, forming factions within the national government.

  • Limited Government

    • Such an understanding of limited government, as explained by James Madison, does not place arbitrary and ideologically biased parameters on the actions of a government, thus allowing government to change as time demands.
    • In 1789, James Madison presented to the First United States Congress a series of ten amendments to the United States Constitution, today known as the Bill of Rights .

  • The Virginia and New Jersey Plans

    • The Virginia delegation took the initiative to frame the debate by immediately drawing up and presenting a proposal, for which delegate James Madison is given chief credit.

  • The First Political Parties: Federalists and Anti-Federalists

    • Congress approved Hamilton's programs, which would later be labeled Federalist, over the opposition of the old Anti-Federalists element, which increasingly coalesced under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
    • Republicans, or the Democratic-Republican Party, was founded in 1792 by Jefferson and James Madison.

  • Mobilizing Public Opinion

    • In a sense, using these criteria, one could consider James Madison as having engaged in outside lobbying.
    • After the Constitution was proposed, Madison wrote many of the 85 newspaper editorials that argued for people to support the Constitution.
    • As a result of Madison's "lobbying" effort, the Constitution was ratified, although there were narrow margins of victory in four of the states.